Remember the first gameplay trailer of Monster Hunter Wilds, where you saw a pack of monsters clustered together, attacking and ganking your hunter? Apparently, that’s about all we’ve gotten in Wilds, even now that the game has been out for a month.
Packs were marketed as one of Monster Hunter Wilds’ best new features, showcasing groups of monsters protecting their alpha. We caught glimpses of this in the game’s first open beta and early quests, particularly with the Alpha Doshaguma. But unfortunately, that seems to be the extent of it.
These so-called “pack mechanics” aren’t fully realized in the final game. Only a handful of monsters actually use them, and even then, they don’t take full advantage of their supposed threat levels.
Reddit user u/plsstopithurts recently voiced their concerns about this underdeveloped feature on the Monster Hunter subreddit. They created a tier list highlighting all the monsters that utilize the pack mechanic—and so far, only three fit the bill: the Doshaguma (with its Alpha Variant), the Hirabami, and the Yian Kut-Ku.
With just three monsters utilizing this system, the Dung Pod has essentially lost its purpose. Most monsters don’t actively hunt you in packs, aside from the ever-iconic Rathalos and Rathian duo. Instead, they just end up wandering into Turf Wars at their own disadvantage. (I’m looking at you Quematrics vs. Arkveld)
There was potential for so much more. Imagine a Congalala leading a pair of its kind, backed by an army of Congas. Or a Blangonga commanding a pack, making them a real threat in larger numbers.
It’s a shame this mechanic feels underdeveloped, and it’s possible Capcom is just doing it to wow investors with this feature. So far, we’ve mostly seen it applied to small monsters like the Rafma and the desert-dwelling Ceratonoth. But who knows—Capcom may yet take this feedback to heart. Maybe in a future update, we’ll see an army of Nerscylla hunting players down. Or even better, three Ajarakans working together to beat you into the dirt. Now that would be a challenge.
With Title Update 1 arriving on April 4, players are eager to see what’s next for Wilds. Perhaps Capcom will refine the pack mechanic in future updates—especially since they’ve already shown a willingness to listen to fan feedback by adding Layered Weapons and tougher monsters.
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